People risking health with internet 'tan jabs', warns expert

An increasing number of people are putting their health at risk by using
potentially dangerous "tan jabs" bought on the internet, experts
have warned.

By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent

1:47PM GMT 17 Feb 2009

Researchers called for measures to halt the supply of the injections in the face of what they described as a seemingly "insatiable" desire.

They also called on doctors to warn patients about the potential dangers of using the drugs and to be aware of and report any side effects.

Not only are the long-term effects of the jabs unknown but users can also put themselves at risk of infections like HIV and Hepatitis C by sharing needles, they said.

Michael Evans-Brown, from Liverpool John Moores University, writing in an editorial in the British Medical Journal, said: "Serious concerns exist about the quality of the preparations that are currently available – not only the drug content and dose, but also contaminants and sterility.

"Some users, especially those who are injecting drugs for the first time, are reusing or sharing injecting equipment, which places them and others at risk of infections, including blood borne viruses."

He called for users to be given sterile injecting equipment and advice on injecting safely.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that use of the drugs, which can be bought online and in some hairdressers and tanning salons, is increasing.

Early last year staff at several needle and syringe programmes in Britain asked for help in advising patients on their use.

By the end of the year that figure had swelled to 30 projects.

Internet based groups devoted to the jabs, called Melanotan I and Melanotan II, are also thriving with one, Melanotan.org, numbering more than 5,000 members.

Early studies show that the injections have been linked to facial flushing, nausea and vomiting, but researchers do not know what effects they could have on those who use them over a longer period.

Both of the injections tan the skin, and melanotan II can also cause erections and increase sexual desire.